Just Need a Little Elbow Room
by Archermusician
Summary: Two women make a living in one of the most treacherous places in the world, Dutch Harbor, Alaska. While there, they meet some of the toughest men. How will these lovely ladies affect the salt-hardened crabbers?


**This is an RP idea that Archermusician and I had and we decided to turn it into a story. The bold parts will represent Mahonechic89 and the rest will be, me, Archermusician's parts.**

Two women make a living in one of the most treacherous places in the world, Dutch Harbor, Alaska. While there, they meet some of the toughest men. How will these lovely ladies affect the salt-hardened crabbers?

**I yawned and stretched as the early morning light poured through the windows of the Elbow Room's second floor. I made my way over to the bathroom and hurriedly ran a brush through my tangled dark brown hair and the raced downstairs to get the Elbow Room in tip-top shape for the oncoming crabbers. The King Crab season was about to begin and I wanted to make sure that everything was ready for when the crabbers came into town. **

**I was slightly worried about the new boat that was joining the fleet. Its crew was comprised of women and women only. I wasn't sure how the other crabbers would take to that once they heard about it. **

I heard the sound of feet running down the steps. I stretched and yawned, accidently kicking my white male wolf, Fintan, in the side. He licked my face and I got out of bed, went to the bathroom to wash my face, brush my hair and teeth, and changed. I put my hair up going down the steps heading straight to the kitchen to start the fires for the food that would be cooked, me being the head cook at the Elbow Room.  
The first thing I said to Lauren was, "Ready for tomorrow when everyone will be coming in?" All I got in response was a sigh. I laughed and said "Don't worry about the people; we will get some of the deckhands to help."

**I smiled at my best friend and stretched for a moment. In a few short hours the crews would arrive back into Dutch Harbor and our little Elbow Room would be absolutely packed with people. Just then the door opened. I whirled around to see who it was and was shocked to see Josh and Jake Harris saunter coolly into the room.**

**"Guys!" I exclaimed partially in excitement and partially in horror, "What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to come till this afternoon!"**

**Jake rolled his eyes at me and sat down at the bar.**

**"Yeah well you know how the old man is," laughed Josh, "He wanted to come up here early and check things out."**

**"And we were bored so we came to visit you," finished Jake as he leaned over the bar to investigate the food we were preparing.**

**I slapped his hand lightly and shook a finger at him.**

**"Don't even think about it," I threatened him as he drew back in surprise.**

**Josh laughed at his younger brother as Jake turned to throw a punch at him. He missed and toppled out of the seat and landed on the floor, causing Josh to roar with laughter.**

I shivered as the door opened, but warmed right back up again seeing Josh Harris, who I always had a small crush on, and his little brother Jake. After hearing that there dad wanted them up early, I ran to them and hugged Jake while Lauren hugged Josh, then we switched. Josh made sure to hug me a bit extra before Jake pulled me off. "Keep it in your pants bro" Jake said to his brother, who blushed.  
"So, Mad, what do you have cooking? Won't hit me for that, will you?"  
I smirked and said, "Little of this, little of that. Home cooking, ya know?"  
"yum, so any chance a few friends can get some coffee and food?"  
"Sure." and we poured them coffee and a breakfast plate each. "So, is everything ok with your gear?" Lauren asked. "At first glance yes, but on closer inspection, no. Someone messed our pots." "What?! Who would do that?" I asked as Lauren and I hid our laughs, knowing the crew that did it

**. I smirked as I glanced at Maddy. We both knew all too well who had messed with those pots. While we worked to refill the boys' coffee the chime above the door sounded again and a rowdy group of guys sauntered into the room. **

**"Matt knock it off!" grumbled Nick Mavar irritably as Matt gave Jake Anderson a light shove.**

**"Do that again and see what happens!" threatened Jake with a glare.**

**"Well least some things never change," I laughed as Sig rolled his eyes and strolled up to the bar.**

**"Ain't that the truth," he grumbled as Edgar flicked his lighter absently. **

**I gave Edgar a warning look and he shrugged, giving his best innocent face.**

**"What?" he asked as a smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth.**

**"You burn my place down I'll have your head Edgar Hansen," I said as I gave him a stern, but playful look.**

**He smiled slyly just as Jake lunged at Matt.**

**"I told you to stop!" he yelled as he threw a punch.**

**"Knock it off!" yelled Norman irritably as he leapt in-between the feuding deckhands.**

I barely contained my laughter at knowing about the pots. The crew that did it arrived the week before, and we became friendly with them.  
I jumped at the chime, followed by a few barks from our wolves at the guys that came in.  
"Boys, can't you wait till the season actually starts to beat on each other?" I sighed, knowing what the answer would be. They smiled and Jake, Nick and Matt all rushed me for hugs. I became close with the boys after cooking them their favorite foods, so they always hug me. I go and shake Edgar's and Sig's hands as they sit down. They claimed, "I don't make salted cod like a Norwegian," so they don't attack me for food. The older ones sat at their booth, as Jake joined the Harris' at the counter.  
After talking with the NW crew for a while, also complaining that they were there WAY early, we asked Josh and the Jake's to help us decorate, and they agreed. We told them we would give them the details that evening.

**I patted Kyra on the head to calm her down a bit as the guys quickly crowded the Elbow Room. Jake Anderson glanced over at me and smiled slightly.**

**"Sorry about that," he muttered as he jerked a thumb in Matt's direction, "He tends to cause problems." **

**Matt looked like he was going to jump up and go after Jake but Sig shot him a warning glare and he sat back down. **

**I rolled my eyes at the sight and shook my head, "You boys...always fighting. Where's the love?"**

**Matt snickered at that as Edgar shared a look with Sig. **

**"Sheesh and I thought WE fought a lot," muttered Jake Harris to Josh.**

**Josh sniffed in agreement as I refilled his cup of coffee.**

**"So you boys helping decorate later right?" I asked them giving them a look that meant that they'd better keep their promise.**

**Jake Anderson nodded eagerly as the Harris' muttered something about having work to do. I shot them a glare and they quickly changed their attitudes.**

**"Yeah, yeah we're comin," said Josh with a smirk, "Don't flip out."**

"So," I said to Lauren after all the crabbers left. "So what?" she replied. "I saw those looks you were giving the horn." She blushed. "So, what about yours and Josh's hug earlier?" Now it was my turn to blush, "I like him, but I hate cigarette smoke, and you know the saying on those boats. The three food groups are: caffeine, nicotine, and stress." We laughed. Just then a man walked in with mid-length dirty-blonde hair, stormy blue eyes that stood around 6'. "Hey, can I get a cup of coffee?" He asked. I went and got it for him numb, he was HOT! We talked to him a bit. We took over in the break between King and Opilio seasons last year. He said that he was helping his father on his boat. We thought that was really sweet. After about 45 minutes, he said he had to go back to his ship, but promised to be there that evening. Lauren had already taken his dishes in the back, and he grabbed my hand and gently kissed the back of it. "I hope to get to know you better," he said before kissing my hand again then leaving.

**I was in shock. Who was this mystery man? I walked back into the main area of the Elbow Room and gave my friend a look.**

**"Who WAS that?" I asked in a hushed voice, "He's quite attractive!"**

"Hey, back off. You were checking out the horn from the NW. He is Blake Painter, Captain of the Maverick." "Would I interfere with your crush?" "No...But I could help with yours." "How?" "Nick is my cousin. We are closer than what you'd think." "You'd do that for me?" "Of course. Now, let's put up an 'out for lunch' sign and go get our groceries, decorations, and most importantly, our dresses for tomorrow!"

**I was ecstatic that Madison was going to help me get to know the young Northwestern greenhorn. But right now I had to worry about finding the right dress for that night. I had not bought a new dress in so long and I wasn't sure what kind to look for. I was just glad that my best friend was there with me to help me out. I would need it that was for sure.**

As soon as Lauren went up the stairs to change, I called Nick and left a message on his phone. Then I let the wolves out, knowing that they would walk with us. Lauren came down and we left, locking up shop. We went to the grocery store, ordered the food to be delivered in several hours, and did the same with the decorations. That took about an hour. Then we headed to the only dress shop in town. The things we considered walking there were colors, length, and cut. I decided on a spaghetti strap floor length dress, starting at a deep blood red and darkening to black. I would wear my dark ruby necklace with it and black flats for tomorrow night.

**I chose a strapless, tight fitting black dress that just barely grazed my knee. I would wear my black sandal-like heels with it that night. I could not wait for the party! I could barely suppress my excitement as I thought about the NW greenhorn that would be there as well. I looked down and petted my wolf Kyra as we left the store and headed back to the Elbow Room to get the place all decked out for tonight.**

We got back to the bar and put our dresses in our rooms. We met back downstairs in excitement. Tonight would be picking out anyone else that wanted to help, and tomorrow would be the party/1 We made a list of what music we'd put on our iPods for it and all. After about an hour, the supplies from the decoration store arrived, and we put them in the closet, and about half an hour after that was done, Kevin, the store manager, brought up our order. We made sure to get plenty of food and liquor, which we always bought in bulk so no one would guess what was in the infamous Duck Farts. We set our ashtrays, the part I hated the most, on the opposite side of the pub. I always choked on the smell.

**I grimaced and glanced at Madison and nodded in unspoken agreement. We both hated the fact that the guys smoked so much. Besides the fact that it smelled horrific and made us choke, it was terrible for their health. **

**"Okay where should we head to look for help first?" I asked Madison as I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, thinking about how much work we had to do before tomorrow.**

"Well, we already have the young Harris' and your 'horn from the NW. I'm pretty sure all the deckhands are coming over from the Iowan Liberty. Are there any other young'uns that you know of on the fleet, besides the Hillstrand boy?" I asked ticking off fingers. With them, it would be about seven people. Tomorrow they would come in at about noon and decorate for a few hours, then go back to work on their boats, and then come back for their last visit before the fleet headed out in two days.  
"Well, lots of the maverick crew are pretty young, especially with that new captain." Lauren smiled while I blushed. "We can ask Blake if he wants to spare a few..."  
"Or we can make an announcement and hope the other captains don't tear us apart for stealing their crews from prepping the boats." WE both grimaced at the thought of having eighty-some odd captains yelling protests if their deckhands-mostly horns-tried to agree.

**"Eesh good point," I muttered, "Well seems like we have enough if you ask me. I just hope those deckhands can keep their mouths shut and not ruin the surprise. I know you're lookin forward to seeing that Maverick captain again," I hinted as Madison blushed again. I loved picking on her about the new, handsome young captain. **

**"Well I'm sure you're thrilled about seeing your Jake Anderson tomorrow," Madison retorted.**

**Now it was my turn to blush bright red.**

**"Yeah, yeah enough talking. What should we do till they come over to help us?"**

~  
"Ok, well loyalty to their boat...but as long as it isn't for too long, I think it will be okay. I am just worried about Jake with no one to confide in on his boat; the Harris' have each other. And as for "that Maverick captain" his name is Blake. And you will NOT tease me tonight when I am with him." I said with a bit of venom in my voice.  
"Sure I won't. So, what do you think of our "Uncle Jonathon" and his crew this year?"  
"I don't know, but that Russell...he can be so annoying at times."  
"Let's just make sure our cabinets are organized, our liquor cabinet is full and our fire is warm."

**I laughed at that, "Aw Russell doesn't mean any harm. He's just...well he's just Russell."**

**I walked over to the liquor cabinet and started sorting and counting the bottles. After a few moments I went over to the other cabinets and started checking off supplies and organizing them.**

**"Looks like we're all set over here. Decorations are all that's left I believe."**

"Well at times that "Just Russel-ness" is very annoying. I bet you that he will say something to me about being with Blake tonight."  
"Probably will, but then he will do the same if I get with Jake."  
"So, we have everything stocked. Come help me write up these notes. I'll write the Harris' and you can write Jake's. We will write when they need to be here and how long they will be here, as well as what they will do."  
"Ok and we will tell the captains tonight."

**"Hey Madison," I said as I walked across the room to wipe down the bar, "When are the guys coming over?"**

**"Should be soon I hope," said Madison as she glanced out the window.**

**I smirked slightly, "I guess we both have something to look forward to tonight don't we?"**

We both laughed. "Ya, but I am kind of scared of how they will take tomorrow night. I mean think about it! A bunch of ruff-and-tumble crabbers in a themed room with us, in nice evening gowns." That made us laugh more. "But to answer your question" I looked at my phone "any time. So we went to the counter and sat on top of it, waiting. After a few minutes of just looking at the flames, the door opened and the TB crew came in quickly followed by the Wizard. The deckhands sat at their boats' table; while the captains sat down at their customary table, waiting for the others.  
~I shared an excited glance with Madison as we both tried to hide how truly happy we were to see the guys beginning to arrive. Monte and Keith were arguing quite loudly as they sat down across from each other.

**"I'm not gonna tell you again how to stack the pots!" screamed Keith, "I told you how I want it done now do it!"**

**"Well I think it'd be better if we stacked 'em..." protested Monte.**

**"I don't care what you think!!!"**

**"GUYS!" I shouted, "Cool it!! Sheesh! You two hot-heads are gonna get everyone fired up here soon!"**

**I rolled my eyes at them as I turned to Madison.**

**"Can you believe it? We got them fighting already!"**

--"You know as well as I do they would fight regardless." We walked over to them and said, "Boys, will you cool it? Duke it out on the sea or at home, not here in this establishment." And we set down there drinks and sat on the table.  
John pulled us into a hug, and said, "There are my two beautiful girls." He kissed our checks. "Where are my grandkids?" He asked, joking, talking about our wolves.  
"Probably outside, waiting for the rest of the boats to arrive, or at least the ones that order food." Lauren responded and sneaked a peak, seeing me blush.  
The door slammed open and the Northwestern and Cornelia Marie crews came in. I laughed seeing Lauren blush, and she couldn't say anything. Sig smiled at us and Phil nodded. Edgar went with the crew now, and we knew he would come back to the captain's table later. We got them their beers, and then talked to some of the other crew members. After we did our rounds and talked to the horns, I looked to my phone and noticed it was almost 40 minutes after the other crews arrived. I was disappointed not to see the Maverick crew yet. I wanted to call, but I didn't want to be a clingy girlfriend. I went to the kitchen to cook a few meals and brought them out. Fintan and Kyra were circling me. I snapped and they backed down. I then smiled seeing a certain blonde male at the counter. I walked by, pretending I didn't notice, and he grabbed me and pulled me to the captain; s table and put me on his lap.

**I smirked as I watched Blake and Madison. I knew she was having the time of her life right then. Just then the door opened and the crew of the Northwestern sauntered in. Their confident looks and swagger announced their presence as they mingled with the other crews. Jake Anderson walked over to the bar and gave me a quick wink. **

**"Hey there," he said, "How's it going?"**

**"Hey," I replied, blushing slightly, "It's going well, thanks. Just busy getting things ready for the party. You're gonna help though right?"**

**Jake smirked, "Well that depends."**

**I raised an eyebrow, "On what? Jake Anderson you promised you'd help!"**

**Jake simply smiled wider in amusement, "On whether or not you will let me take you out sometime."**

**I felt my face flush as I looked away for a moment. I pretended to seriously think it over before I replied.**

**"Hmm, well okay I guess," I said with a smile.**

**Jake laughed as he leaned across the bar and gave me a kiss on the cheek.**

**"Thanks...then in that case I'll help you out."**

-

I watched as Jake got up from the table he was sitting at and walked up to the bar. I saw Lauren blush, then her eyes widened and I could hear her voice, "On what? Jake Anderson you promised you'd help!" That drew a lot of attention from the other people seated in the Elbow Room. I smiled and hid my head in the crook of Blake's neck. He grabbed my chin and made me look in his eyes. Stormy grey-blue into orange and green.  
"What was that about?" Blake asked. I knew the other captains were listening.  
"I don't know what you're talking about." I said innocently and smiled.  
I looked back over and saw Jake lean over and kiss Lauren's cheek. I smiled and looked away as Sig started to turn, so I quickly said, "Any ideas of where the crab will be at this year boys?" They all look at me, then at each other, then laugh! At me! I pout and leave, hurt by them.  
None of them knew that I used to fish all the time in my youth, granted that was only 7 years ago, before college, but still. So I went to the kitchen, where they weren't allowed and called Lauren back. I was going to have fun with this.  
"So, when are you going out with Jake?" I inquired the second the door closed. She jaw-dropped.  
"How did you know that's what he asked?" She sighed.  
"Your cute little blush and the kiss, you're lucky I kept the captains from looking over! But they all laughed at me." I pout again.  
"Is that why you're not out there being Blake's blanket so to speak?"  
"He laughed too! I'll be back out in a bit. I don't want to hurt them. Maybe I'll flirt around and see what happens?" I say with a glint in my eye.  
Lauren sighs, and then goes to attend to the bar.

**~ I smirked as I watched Madison go work her magic with the guys. I glanced over and saw Sig giving me an incredulous look and shaking his head. **

"**Yes Captain Hansen how may I help you?" I asked as I put my hands on my hips and shot him one of my glares.**

**He rolled his eyes, "You don't scare me. And don't think I didn't see what just happened over there between you and my greenhorn."**

**I immediately felt myself go blood red as I gave Sig a horrified look.**

"**Oh…that? Oh well, um I was just…"**

"**Oh save it," he muttered, "Least you'll keep him out of trouble when we're here at the docks. That's a miracle in and of itself!"**

**I laughed as I glanced over and saw Jake running away from Edgar. Edgar's head was soaking wet and if looks could kill Jake would have been a dead man just then. **

"**Oh great," I muttered as I glanced across the room at Madison. We shared exasperated looks as we watched Edgar chase Jake around the bar. We both assumed that Jake decided to dump his drink on his deck boss' head. Not a smart move on his part to say the least. Soon the entire room of crab fishermen were laughing and cheering Edgar on.**

"**Well this can't end well," I muttered to myself.**

~--After cooling off I decide to go over to the Cornelia Marie table and flirt with the Harris boys, especially Josh. So I walk past the captain's table, just out of Blake's reach and sit next to Josh. I start talking to him with extraneous touching, hair flipping and flirting.  
I know Blake will get jealous, so when I look over, I see Lauren at the Captain's table talking to Sig. She had hands-on-hips, then after something Sig said, she went beet red. I laughed and guessed I didn't distract Sig quick enough to keep Lauren out of the Norwegian's boiling pot.  
Just after a little time, Jake and Edgar ran across the room. I shared a look with Lauren, and then looked down at my hands.  
I wanted to be with Blake, so I was surprised when a hand, not from the table, went over mine. I looked up and saw Blake with a slightly hard look in his eyes. He said to the table, "I'm borrowing my girlfriend, if you don't mind.'' and he pulled me up, harder than normal, and led me outside. He let go of my hand, turned to me, and asked, "What the hell was that about?!"  
I looked down, embarrassed and ashamed. "It was nothing. You upset me earlier, laughing at me, so I decided to get back at you. I didn't mean anything by it." I finished looking up into his eyes. If he was going to be this jealous, I couldn't be with him. I saw him visibly relax.  
"So, you didn't mean anything by it?" He asked. "No." "Good, now I can do this." Before I could ask what "this" was, he wrapped his right arm around my waist and pulled me to him, his left hand going to stroke my cheek. He leaned down and kissed my lips. It was gentle, but I could tell he was restraining himself, so when he pulled back, I followed.

**Sig found my beet red face rather amusing. I looked away from him just in time to see Blake and Madison going at it again. I rolled my eyes in exasperation and was about to point the scene out to Sig when Jake and Edgar ran past us. Jake was screaming at the top of his lungs and Edgar was letting loose one of his evil laughs. Sig turned around and tried to get them to stop but the two deckhands were oblivious to his yells. I smiled as I watched them chase each other around the room. If nothing else I did know one thing: this was going to be a **_**very**_** interesting season…**


End file.
